Daoism Series 41:
The Jade Emperor
Collected Scriptures on the Origin and Cultivation of the Superior Jade Emperor上玉皇本行集經, translated as Combined Scriptures of the Founding Acts of the Jade Emperor on High by the recently passed away Kristofer Schipper, is tentatively attributed to Zhang Liang 張良 (c. 3rd century BCE – 186 BCE), courtesy name Zifang 子房, a statesman from the early Western Han Dynasty and thematizes the highest deity of the Daoist pantheon, the Jade Emperor, with an assembly of transcendents in front of his throne in the Pure Tenuity Heavenly Palace. This seems to be the Daoist equivalent of Abhiniskramna Sutra佛本行集經(literally, Discourse of the Great Renunciation), which is the biography of the Buddha from his birth, his youth, his renunciation, his spiritual quest, his enlightenment, and his teachings and interactions with students and others, as well as miscellaneous accounts of him and his apprentices. Likewise it also covers the story of the Jade Emperor from his birth to the completion of his cultivation into a Golden Immortal.
The following is an excerpt from the accomplishment of the Jade Emperor accounted in the ‘First Chapter: Spirit Communion at the Pure Tenuity Heavenly Palace’ 清微天宮神通品第一:
天尊言曰：往昔去世，有國名號光嚴妙樂，其國王者名曰淨德。時王有后，名寶月光。其王無嗣。帝因一日作是思惟：我今將老，而無太子，身或崩滅，社稷九廟，委付何人？作是念已，即便敕下詔諸道眾於諸宮殿，依諸科教，懸諸旛蓋，清淨嚴潔，廣陳供養，六時行道，徧禱真聖。已經半載，不退初心。忽夜寶月光皇后夢太上道君與諸至真，金姿玉質，清淨之儔，駕五色龍輿，擁耀景旌，蔭明霞蓋，是時太上道君安坐龍輿，抱一嬰兒，身諸毛孔放百億光，照諸宮殿，作百寶色，幢節前導，浮空而來。是時皇后心生歡喜，恭敬接禮，長跪道前，白道君言：今王無嗣，願乞此子為社稷主。伏願慈悲，哀愍聽許。爾時道君答皇后言：願特賜汝。是時皇后禮謝道君，而乃收之。皇后收已，便從夢歸，覺而有孕。
The Heavenly Worthy One said: In former times, from my previous life, there was a kingdom called ‘Bright, Solemn, Marvelous, and Joyful.’ The king’s name was Jing De [literally Pure Virtue]. At that time the king had a queen, her name was Bao Yueguang [literally Treasure of the Moonlight].
The king was without an heir. Because of that, the emperor thought to himself one day, ‘Nowadays, I am about to become old, yet I do not have a crown prince. Should my body collapse or perish, who should I entrust the state and the nine ancestral shrines?’ After having such a thought, he immediately issued an imperial edict to summon all religious groups to various halls of the imperial palace; then, complying each of their own doctrine, he hung up all types of pennants and canopies, to [make the palace] pure, tranquil, solemn, and clean. He then made offerings widely and publicly, and practiced the dao in [all] six periods of the day, during which he prayed to all Realized Ones and sages. This went on for half a year, and he never once went back on his initial mindset.
Suddenly, one night, the queen Bao Yueguang dreamed that the Supreme Lofty Sovereign of the Dao [i.e. an emanation of Lao Zi] and various Accomplished Ones and Realized Ones, with golden appearance and jade-like skin, along with pure and tranquil companions, riding on five-coloured dragon carriages, whilst being embraced by glorious and bright banners, and sheltered by canopies of brilliant rosy tinted clouds. At that time the Supreme Lofty Sovereign of the Dao sat properly on the dragon carriage and carried an infant in his arms. The pores [of the infant’s] whole body then set off billions of rays that illuminated all halls of the palace, producing the colours of hundreds of previous gems. They were led by pennants and sigils coming towards [the queen] while floating in the air.
At that time, the queen felt joy and happiness in her heart. In deference, she received them with courtesy, and she knelt upright in front of the road and said to the Sovereign of the Dao: ‘Now, the king is without an heir. With a [strong] desire, I beg you for this child, who shall become the sovereign of the state. I humbly hope for your compassion and mercy, that you may listen to me, take pity on our misery, and grant [my wish].’ At that time, the Sovereign of the Dao replied to the queen: ‘As desired, I shall in particular grant it to you.’ At that time, with proper courtesy, the queen expressed her gratitude to the Sovereign of the Dao and received [the infant]. After the queen received [the infant], she immediately returned from her dream, and she felt that she was pregnant.
Post-Scriptum; This excerpt will be published as part of The Dragon Gate’s Core Methods by Wang Changyue.
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